The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-01-14
IN AND DEMOCRAT BIOOMsBURG COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA
Fire in Densier,s building.

When Bloomsbury woke up on Tuesday
morning nearly all the inhabitants were
surprised to hear that there had been fire
during the night. About half past twelve
as Watchmsn Hover passed Dentlers store
he smelled smoke but saw no fire He gave
an alarm, and the Friendship hose carriage
was soon on hand Hose was attached to
the plug at the corner Of vain and Centre
and a stream was turned into +. 2. Bill
meyers law office, front room, second
floor, where by this time flames appeared.
The Hook and Ladder truck was MT on
hand. and ii was impossible to tell In what
part OF the room the fire was As the wa
ter was thrown through the front window
from the ground the flames did not appear
to diminish and 1t was soon evident that
this time the truck was brought out, and
ladder put up to the window, when 1t was
discovered that the table In the centre OF
the room was on fire and the flames had
communicated with the floor. The hose
WAS carried up into the hall, the door burst
open, and 10 a very few moments the fire
was extinguished, and what might have
been a disastrous confagraton was pre-
vented. The Winona hose carriage was
second on the ground, and hose attached
to the plug at the corner of Main and Mark
ct, but the plug was broken in the effort to
turn on water, and no stream could be OBJ.
tanned. Fortunately, it was not needed.
The fire is supposed to have originated
in wooden spittoon near the table. Mr..
Billmeyer is secretary OF the School Fur
nishing Co, and a number Of hands were
paid in the Office on Monday evening. 1t
is supposed that some one threw cigar
stump, or burning tobacco from pipe into
the spittoon which was partly filed with
saw dust, and that this smou'dered until mid
| night when it acquired sufficient headway
| to set fire to the table. The table was en-
| tirely burned up, with all the books and
papers on it, and a hole burned through tue
| floor, all of Mr.. Billmeyer's law books were
burned, and the large stock OF boots and
| shoes in Denter's store badly damaged by
water The stock and building were in-
sured, but the damage has not yet been as
certained. The ceiling OF the store will
have TO he entirely rep'o ostered
II the fire had not been discovered when
it was, Dentler's building, Knorr & Winter.
STEMS, Rawlings, the COLUMBIAN office
McKinny's, possibly the Exchange Hotel
and there is no telling how many NOR,
/ N q nj a
ed. The night was clear and cold, and
there was no wind, but the insuflicien.
cy OF hose would not have permitted more
than three streams Of water, and this
would have been entirely inadequate, had
the fire got good start. 1t took all the
hose of the Friendship, four hundred feet,
to get one stream on the building. The
| Winonas might have put two streams in
play, il the plug could haye been opened
This would have taken the two neares,
plugs, ard the Hookies could not have
reached the fire from the next nearest plug.
| The town council should at once procure
! more hose.
No bells were rnng, because there was
| lo ouC out WuV CJuiu Sct lllto tue COuT|
house, or ATTY of the churches, and there
were but few cries of fire, 80 that not over
fifty people knew of it until morning
This is a bad time of year for fire to
break out, and the fire companies should
keep themselves in readiness for hard
fight at any time.
Since writing the above We have learn
ed the following additional facts. The ia.
BILE in Bilmeyer's office esbelonged to NJ F.
Eyerly. Both Mr.. Billmeyer and Mr.. Eyer
ly lost many valuable papers on which
there was no insurance, and which canno
be replaced They were the minute book
of the Board of Trade. minutes of thu
Normal School trustees, receipts and bills o
the School Furnishing Company letter cop,
books, and Mr.. Eyrrlys docket and paper
conn, cted with his collection business, be
sides many miscellaneous papers.
Mr. Dentler's loss on the building wa
about $500, and on his stock $1,000. l
was fully covered by insurance and tn,
losses were promptly adjusted by Frea
Browns agency.